77% of flights leaving Everett (PAE) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 9 flights leave PAE on a typical day; 1.2% were cancelled. 80% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 7 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 8 a.m. (79%).
- Best month: June (83%). Worst: August (74%).
- Biggest delay cause: the air traffic system (48% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 77%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving PAE: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 143 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early77%
- 15–30 min late7.1%
- 30–60 min late7.8%
- 1–2 hours late4.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.0%
- 3+ hours late0.7%
- Diverted0.8%
- Cancelled1.2%
Share of all 3,431 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PAE
PAE is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 8 a.m. it was 79%, a 7-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 56% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PAE was a 7 a.m. departure in October (93% on time); the least, 9 a.m. in January (65%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
August is the hardest month at PAE, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; June is the best at 83%. Cancellations peak in January (4.6% of flights).
Airlines at PAE
Alaska Airlines runs 97% of departures from PAE, so PAE is effectively its hub. When Alaska Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 3,342 | 77% | 80% | 1.2% | −6 min |
Why flights are late at PAE
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PAE, 48% of delay minutes came from the air traffic system: air traffic control programs, airport congestion and non-severe weather. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 25%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
PAE vs nearby airports
PAE isn't the only option in Seattle. Over the past year SEA ran 79% on time with 1.0% of flights cancelled, against 77% and 1.2% at PAE. SEA has the better record, so if fares and times are close, it is the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAE Seattle Paine | — | 3,431 | 77% | 1.2% |
| SEA Seattle-Tacoma | 32 mi | 183,522 | 79% | 1.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 77% of PAE departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (87%); the worst, August 2026 (64%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Dec 8, 2025, when 27% of 11 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 8, 2025 | 11 | 27% | 55% |
| Jan 19, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 70% |
| Nov 19, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 40% |
| Jan 3, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 60% |
| Oct 24, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 40% |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 50% |
| Oct 23, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| Jul 25, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 60% |
| Sep 5, 2025 | 10 | 10% | 50% |
| Jul 16, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 30% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PAE, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.0% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights, so at PAE the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Alaska Airlines to Las Vegas (2.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS Las Vegas | Alaska Airlines | 6:21 p.m. | 2.4% | 0.4% | 73% |
| SFO San Francisco | Alaska Airlines | 7:16 p.m. | 0.4% | 1.6% | 38% |
| PHX Phoenix | Alaska Airlines | 2:52 p.m. | 0.4% | 1.5% | 79% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of PAE
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PAE the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in August? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PAE come from the air traffic system. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PAE
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 622 | 48% | 1.1% | +15 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 668 | 82% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 638 | 84% | 1.9% | −9 min |
Flights into PAE
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Seattle Paine, least reliable first. The weakest is from San Francisco (54% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 621 | 54% | 2.7% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 635 | 81% | 2.1% |
| PHX Phoenix | 674 | 88% | 0.6% |
Questions about PAE delays
What is the best time to fly out of PAE?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 85% of PAE departures at that hour arrived on time, against 79% at 8 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PAE?
August (74% on time). June is the best month (83%).
Why are flights delayed at PAE?
The biggest cause was the air traffic system (48% of delay minutes): air traffic control programs, airport congestion and non-severe weather. Then late-arriving aircraft (25%).
Is PAE or SEA more reliable?
Over the past year: PAE 77% on time, SEA 79%.
How often are flights cancelled at PAE?
1.2% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.6%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.